Ignoring Success Of Small-Ball Era, Cavaliers Sign Their Fourth 7-Footer

The Cleveland Cavaliers just agreed to a one-year, non-guaranteed deal with big man Tacko Fall.

Fall played his first two season in Boston, where he produced a decent 2.7 points and 2.6 rebounds per game average, considering he only appeared in 26 games.

In the G-League, Fall averaged an impressive double-double, so it appears as if he falls into that vague ‘in-between’ category: good enough to play in the NBA, but not quite good enough to really contribute.

Curiously enough, though, Fall becomes the fourth seven-footer on this Cavs roster, which suggests that the team may have something special planned in terms of strategy this season. In the last few years, spacing and shooting have replaced strength and size in the NBA.  Once coveted for their touch around the basket, big men are mostly relegated to special lineups these days, or are encouraged to become another shooter.

The Cavs may be trying to zig while the rest of the league continues to zag. All of their size may cause issues on the defensive end in terms of picking up shooters, but the team’s offensive efficiency could be staggeringly high if they are willing to play a slower, more burly brand of ball that was popular in the 80s and 90s. Standing at 7’5” tall, Fall is nearly impossible to stop if he has the ball directly under the basket, so perhaps there is a method to the madness here.

Fall is expected to play alongside Jarrett Allen, Evan Mobley, Dean Wade and Kevin Love this year in Cleveland.